FoodChain has opened its Neighborhood Green Grocery on Lexington's north side, bringing fresh, local and affordable food to a neighborhood long considered a food desert.The Neighborhood Green Grocery carries produce sourced from Kentucky farmers, including Stepping Stone Farm, Rootbound Farm, DreamTime Market Gardens, Salad Days Farm and Kentucky Black Farmers Association, though more farms could have their products in the store eventually.Some products are grown even closer to home just one room away, in FoodChain's signature indoor aquaponics facility.The store also stocks grab-and-go lunches, pantry basics and hygiene items, and features a play area for children. Every customer leaves with free popcorn and a mini-slushy.Leandra Forman, the co-executive director of FoodChain, said the goal of the store goes beyond simply stocking shelves."For us, a green grocer is a space that's focused on having fresh foods available, but making sure it's accessible, affordable and usable," she said.The store is also designed to serve as an economic engine for the surrounding community, with neighbors working inside and helping shape what the store becomes."We want to make sure the neighbors are coming in, building a store they want to see. They're working here, and it's an economic driver for this neighborhood, and not just a place that's providing food," Forman said.Shoppers are already filling the aisles. Customer Veroqua Moore said the store fills a critical gap."It's nutritious for children, convenient for seniors, convenient for folks that cannot get places. [An] awesome, awesome thing they're doing here," Moore said.For Forman, the opening marks a turning point for the neighborhood."This place is no longer a food desert. There is a place where people can come and access fresh, sustainable, local, healthy food," Forman said.You can find FoodChain's Green Grocery hours and information here. ...read more read less